I have been writing songs and recording them, off and on, since I was 16 years old, that would be, uh, 46 years. I've waxed on here occasionally about my small triumphs, like having my song "The Noise Pollution's Gone", become the theme song of NoiseFreeAmerica, or, most recently, having over 500 videos on YouTube using my music as a sound track. These things please me so, because besides being born to be a husband, father, gardener and steakeater, I was probably born to write songs, given it's recurring chorus.
Somewhere back there, I think I was in my late 30s, back in the days when one would make a master cassette tape of a song, and send it off to a publisher for approval, or disapproval, I got a lengthy letter back from one of them, with my rejected cassette. It was a lovely letter, really, from a Rusty Someone, full of observations about my songs, and even some kind comments. But I had used the word "spouse" in one of the songs I had sent him, (it was titled, "Knocks the Heart"), and Rusty's comment was that "spouse isn't a song word".
In the past ten years or so I have been submitting songs in the present day mp3 format, online, which is way more convenient. There are online services which will forward your worthy songs to publishers and others for use, as my representative "Rumblefish Music" has done for me by placing my songs on YouTube. I could just about keep my Starbucks card in the black with the royalty checks Rumblefish has been kindly sending each quarter.
Another online company with contacts to recording artists and others who need songs like filmakers and tv producers is Taxi.com, acompany which has placed many songs from li'l ol' writers like me with big recording stars. Each time a writer submits a song to Taxi, the writer receives a critique, a process I have enjoyed, and loathed. The artists and writers and industry professionals at Taxi who critique ones work are mostly kind, but honest. One part of the critique form rates your songs title, including one check box that says "So-So Title". Given my checkered songwriting past, I thought So-So Title was a pretty good title.
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